Striping attachment for circular knitting-machines



F. W. ROBINSON.

STRIPING ATTACHMENT FOR CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES.

APPLICATION HLED APR. 10, 1.919.

1,357,253. Patented NOV. 2,1920.

Z W awuamtoc UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK W. ROBINSON, OF READING, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOB T0 TEE NOLDE & HORST (30., OF READING, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

Application filed April 10.

To all whom it may concern.

e it known that I, FRANK TV. ROBINSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of Reading, in the county of Berks and State of Pennsylvania, have'invented certain new and useful Improvements in Striping Attachments for Circular Knitting- Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to circular knitting machines and particularly to improvements in vertical striping mechanism therefor fully set forth in connection with the accompanying drawing and defined in the subjoined claims.

Figure 1 is an elevation showing my 11nproved attachment in connection with adj acent parts of circular knitting machines.

Fig. 2 is an elevation taken at right angles to Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a planview with portions broken away to show a section on the line 3---3 of F ig. l.

Figs. 4, 5 and 6, 7 are vertical views of the finger-stop cams employed respectively at the outer sides of and between the closely arranged pair of swinging fingers shown.

The drawing indicates the usual circle of knitting needles 3, and a latch ring 4:, having guide openings 5 and 6 for guiding the knitting thread and high-splice thread commonly employed;v in connection'with a suspension plate 10 for the striping-thread carrier fingers 11 to which the striping threads 12 are fed. This suspension plate 10, which is supported in a suitable manner, and is provided with a socket bearing 22 for each of the swingingly mounted striping-thread fingers em loyed, substantially as shown in my prior atent No. 1,203,131 issued Oct. 31, 1916, to which reference is made as a setting forth of the general construction to which my present improvements relate; the needle-engaging. swing of each finger being imparted by a contacting cam or cams 30, 30 arranged in the path of rollers 27 at the end of a rigid laterally extending operating arm 25 of each finger, and with rollers 28 at the ends of right-angular head plates 26, rigidly secured to said arms 25, so as, in cooperation with finger-retracting springs 29,

a to successively swing the thread carried by each finger, first between determined needles, then across the needle or needles to be en- Specification of Letters Patent.

STRIPING ATTACHMENT FOR CIRCULAR KNITTING-MACHINES.

Patented Nov. 2, 1920.

1919. Serial No. 289.009.

gaged by such thread, and finally back to starting position.

In my present construction shown these striping-thread carrier fingers are arranged in r iametrically opposite pairs, so as to knit in closely parallel vertical stripes on each striping threads are to be swung, and upon which they are to be engaged by lateral movement of the fingers, calls for very nice regulation of the finger swings in order that each finger may be made to reliably produce a determined uniform stripe. And in order that this striping may be satisfactorily continued in connection with the usual highsplicing operation referred to, provision is required for taking care of the so-called floating threads extending between the end needlesof the high-splicing series, as inclicated at 8 Fig. 3. i

For regulating the needle-engaging swing of the striping-thread fingers 11, I employ a pair of independently adjustable finger stop earns 36, 37, for each finger; which cams are secured in ad usted positions to rigid supports 38, 38 depending from the suspension plate 10 as shown, by means of screwthreaded shank portions 40 engaged in apertures in the supports 38 and provided with lock nuts 41.

A pair of these stop cams is arranged on opposite sides of each striping-thread finger 11, so as to limit the needle-engaging swing of the latter in each direction as determined by their independent adjustment; their points of contact with the finger being so near to the free ends of the latter as to facilitate the accurate setting required. To permit the use of separate cam stops between the closely arranged. striping-thread fingers as shown, the eccentric body portions of these are flattened, and the stops are mounted one above the other as indicated. The rollers 27-28 are of different lengths so as to permit of separate or joint operation of the fingers by separate cams 30, 30*, or a single adjustable cam if desired, as indicated.

To provide for preventing the floating high-splice threads 8 from coming in contact with the ends of the striping-thread fingers 11 or the threads carried thereby, I provide a deflecting device 40 for said flating threads 8, which device is fastened to the rigid supports 38 for-the finger-stop cams, and depends within the needle cylinder so as to hold the floating threads away from the striping fingers as indicated, the

dotted lines 51 showing how the floating ried by each forked finger may be varied to change the character of the stripe produced; and the fingers may be operated to produce broken stripes as desired by intermittent adjustment of the cams 30, to operative striping Ina be continued without interference by t e floating'high-splice threads.

What I claim is v 1. A vertical striping attachment for circular knitting machines comprising independently suspended adjacent thread-can rier fingers, means for imparting intermittent needle-engaging swings to the threadguide ends of said fingers, and separate pairs of independently pivoted needle-stop cams operative upon the respective fingers to variably limit their swings, one cam of each pair being located between adjacent fingers.

2. In a circular knitting machine comprising feed mechanism for a main knitting thread and for a high-splicingthread; oppositely arranged striping-thread carrier fingers and means for imparting intermittent needle-engaging swings to the threadguide ends thereof, and a deflecting device for the floating high-spliced threads depending within the needle cylinder and arranged to prevent interference of said threadswith the striping operation.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

FRANK W. ROBINSON. 

